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Zenjiro rose to his feet, straightened his suit, and strode toward Akira.
"Come."
Akira didn't budge. He leaned back slightly.
"You go ahead."
Zenjiro exhaled, his tone shifting.
"You know you've never been an easy child."
Akira's gaze remained flat.
"You've never experienced my childhood."
Zenjiro hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing.
"I'm sure I made some mistakes."
He sighed, then admitted,
"I didn't know how to train a son."
A slow smirk curled on Akira's lips.
"You trained me well, Dad."
"Take care of your family, even if you have to leave them for a while."
Zenjiro sighed,
"I don't need a parenting gold medal from you."
Akira said,
"You don't even have a chance to win a gold medal."
"I sent you away for your own good. I sent you to learn discipline."
Zenjiro gestured toward the lively party.
"Let's forget all this and… Let's go and enjoy the party."
Akira clicked his tongue as if he didn't want to.
Zenjiro studied him.
"I know what your problem is."
Akira let out a short breath.
"Tell me what my problem is."
Zenjiro didn't hesitate.
"You think I'm giving your share to Masashi."
A tense silence stretched between them. Then Akira spoke, his voice slow, deliberate.
"Do you really mean that, Dad? Or are you just saying it to hurt me?"
Zenjiro's answer came without hesitation.
"The fact is, Masashi is disciplined. He's capable, in control, hardworking. He's someone you can never be."
Akira inhaled sharply.
"Perfect."
"You think all this is a joke?"
"No, Of course not."
Akira said, voice cool.
"Masashi's the good son. You signed his report cards. Taught him how to ride a bike."
"Actually, Masashi is your real son. I'm your bastard son."
Slap.
The slap cracked through the air, jerking Akira's head to the side. A tense beat passed. Akira
straightened slowly.
"How daring, Dad. You're hitting your grown-up son."
"Forget living in the same house, we can't even live in the same country."
Zenjiro's eyes are dark with emotion.
"You're Right. Get out of my house."
Zenjiro turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Akira standing alone.
…
The wheels of the suitcase rumbled against the wooden floor as Akira walked down the corridor, his pace unhurried.
Outside, the carriage driver loaded the last of his belongings onto the carriage. Akira pulled open the carriage door, but his movements stilled when a trio of carriages pulled up in front of him.
From them emerged four humans and a fishman, including Hajime, and Hinata.
Hinata walked forward in silence, her eyes gazing at him intently.
Hajime's voice broke the stillness.
"Where do you think you're going, bags packed like this? And what did you say to her?"
"Where do you think you are going with all your bags packed up? And what did you tell her?"
"She called off the wedding. Got out of the house. "
Akira's gaze met hers as he stepped forward and stopped in front of Hinata.
"You got into a fight with your family?"
Akira's gaze swept over her face,
"Did they hit you?"
She shook her head, Akira stepped closer, his fingers brushing against her wrist before he gently lifted his hand to her neck.
"Are you okay?"
He asked, his tone softer this time.
He raised his hand to her forehead,
"You got a fever?"
he cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing over the warm skin.
"Are you feeling hot?"
Hinata shook her head, Akira lowered his hand and took hold of hers firmly.
"Come,"
With that, he led her away, their fingers intertwined. Hajime and his friends watched them silently.
The fishman shook his head.
"Hajime..."
Hajime turned to him.
"It's over, bro."
They watched as Akira and Hinata disappeared through the entrance of the mansion.
…
Outside Zenjiro's study, a tense atmosphere hung in the air. Two police officers stood near the door, along with four rifle-armed bodyguards. An old man positioned himself near the entrance.
Inside, Zenjiro sat behind his massive desk, his fingers steepled as he listened to the governor, who occupied one of the chairs before him. Masao sat beside the governor with his seat turned towards him.
Akira approached the study, his gaze flicking to the glass panel on the door. He caught a glimpse of the room's occupants before shifting his attention to the old man standing outside.
Zenjiro's eyes lifted at that moment, meeting Akira through the glass.
The old man spoke.
"Ten minutes, sir."
Akria and Hinata walked to the side hand in hand and stood under an massive bookshelf as if an ant, Waiting.
"You want some water?"
Akira asked.
She shook her head.
"You want to sit?"
Another small shake.
Akira glanced toward the study, anticipation coiling inside him. Beside him, Hinata looked down, her shoulders rising and falling with uneven breaths.
"Hey, Hinata."
They both turned at the voice. Mina strode toward them.
"Congratulations on your engagement,"
"I'm so sorry I couldn't make it..."
Her words trailed off when she noticed their intertwined hands. Her eyes flicked from Akira to Hinata, then back to Akira.
"What."
Akira asked.
…
Inside the study, Bookshelves lined the walls, the scent of aged paper mingling with the faint aroma of cigar smoke. Zenjiro remained seated, his posture rigid. Masao stood a few feet away, positioned under a row of framed family portraits with a cigar in hand.
Akira entered, while Hinata stopped at the entrance.
Akira stepped forward.
"Dad..."
"I want you to meet somebody special."
He turned to his left, locking eyes with Hinata.
"Hinata, come."
She hesitated.
"Come," he repeated, this time gentler.
Slowly, she stepped forward and stood beside him. She offered Zenjiro a small, polite smile.
"Hello, Uncle."
Silence. Zenjiro's gaze never left Akira. He didn't even acknowledge Hinata's presence.
Her smile faltered.
"Dad..."
He paused,
"I didn't come back with the intention of staying here."
A beat passed.
"We are getting married, Dad."
Zenjiro's expression didn't change.
He lowered his gaze, Lost in thought.
"Dad."
Hinata turned to Akira.
The silence stretched.
"Zenjiro,"
Masao prompted, his tone laced with concern.
Before the tension could break, the study door opened, and Masashi stepped in.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
Masashi asked, barely sparing a glance at the others.
"Everyone's waiting for you to cut the cake. Come. Please."
He turned to Masao.
"Uncle, please join us."
Masashi waited. After a short moment, Zenjiro pushed back his chair and stood, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he strode toward the door, Masashi following closely behind.
Akira remained still.
Hinata lowered her head.
The room felt colder than before for the three of them.
…
The Blue Rose Mansion's balcony still bore the remnants of the engagement celebration—twinkling lights, garlands of fresh roses, A tense atmosphere settled over the gathering.
On the right side of the balcony stood Hajime, his parents beside him. A young boy stood next to them, followed by four girls of varying ages. In front, a small girl clutched the hem of her dress.
Behind them, two sets of parents loomed like silent judges, all eyes locked onto Akira and Hinata, who sat together on a small bench at the center of attention.
Hinata's aunt's voice sliced through the silence.
"What kind of example are you setting, Hinata?"
She demanded.
"What will the other children learn from this?"
Hinata's mother turned toward her sister.
"You're right,"
Encouraged, Hinata's aunt pressed on.
"This girl didn't even think about us. She used to call him 'brother,' for crying out loud! This is so wrong."
Akira turned sharply to Hinata, who met his gaze.
"Sister, they cannot get married,"
"Hina, I'm here"
Heads swiveled as the engagement's intended groom stepped onto the balcony, a champagne bottle hanging loosely from his fingers. With his confident smirk.
"Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."
He greeted before turning towards Hinata.
"Hina, my love, you're not ready yet?"
he asked, not even sparing a glance at Akira. When she didn't respond, he asked.
"What's going on?"
Two of Akira's friends stepped in, grasping the young man by the arms.
One of them said,
"Bro, listen,"
The other added.
"Come on, come with us,"
"What is it?"
he demanded, resisting their grip.
"Just come with us."
They said.
"What."
He asked.
One of the friends shook his head.
"Try to understand. It's a childhood love story."
The engagement boy scoffed.
"Childhood love story? Then why the hell did she waste my time?"
As they dragged him away, a maid approached with a tray holding two glasses of juice. She walked past the commotion and set the drinks on the small table in front of Akira and Hinata.
Hinata's mother frowned. "Poonam, what do you think you're doing?"
The maid straightened.
"I know exactly what I'm doing, Ma'am."
Her voice carried a quiet finality. She gestured at the Engagement boy.
"Earlier, that man was going to be the groom."
Then she gestured to Hinata.
"Now, this man is going to be the groom. The groom has changed."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Some of the kids giggled which earned them a glare from their parents.
Hinata's mother said sharply.
"Hinata, If this is what you wanted, You should've told us. And this boy--"
She shifted her gaze to Akira,
"We've known him since he was a little kid."
From the corner of the group, Hinata's uncle spoke up.
"Brother, there's no point in discussing this. What had to happen has happened."
Tension crackled in the air. Akira and Hinata sat silently, their hands still clasped.
Hajime stepped forward, his brows furrowed.
"Hina, talk to them,"
He urged.
"Say something. Explain it to them."
Hinata's aunt snapped,
"You stop talking, Hajime."
"What will she explain? Shameless girl… I'm done with this. Get up, Hina. Just get up."
But Hinata didn't move. Instead, she turned to Akira, and he turned to her. A silent understanding passed between them. And then, as the world around them held its breath, they leaned in and kissed.
A collective gasp echoed through the balcony. Shock rippled through the family.
Hinata's aunt let out a strangled noise and clamped her hands over her children's eyes. Her uncle grabbed his daughter and pulled her away. One by one, the family members left, some shaking their heads, others muttering under their breath.
Hajime lingered for a moment longer, his lips pressed into a tight line, before he too walked away.
Only Hinata's parents remained. Her father glanced at her mother, who stood frozen, staring at her daughter in stunned silence.
Akira and Hinata slowly pulled away from each other, eyes locked, the world around them forgotten.